The Wound (Spoilers)

So there's a 7.3.2 PTR build up. We're going to be talking post-Antorus spoilers here. So let's... um... let's put up that spoiler warning.

SPOILERS AHOY!

Ok? Good? We all ready for the spoiler ride? Ok.


With voice files and one big old honking map of Silithus of all places, we find out some big things about the end of the raid:

Illidan will be sealed away with the Titans to imprison Sargeras. This is the big sacrifice that was his destiny. He gets some closure, sort of, by sending you with a message to Malfurion and Tyrande (and a third note of encouragement for you!)

But the big thing is that, as Sargeras is defeated, he wounds Azeroth with a parting blow. This wound is apparently in Silithus, and takes up most of the middle of the zone. Azeroth's blood is pouring out (second... or third, I guess, Well of Eternity?) and it's looking pretty bad.

And that's all we got for now, but holy crap does it open up some big questions.

Silithus hasn't really been touched since Ahn-Qiraj was released in Vanilla. It got skipped over in the Cataclysm revamp, which I always found odd given that it was such an Old God/Twilight's Hammer zone.

There have been tons of hints that the next expansion will be Old God-themed, and much of that speculation has centered on N'Zoth and a potential South Seas expansion.

But what if it's bigger?

After all, Legion covered essentially three different expansion premises (The Nightmare, Argus, and the Tomb of Sargeras, which to be fair I had assumed would be in the South Seas rather than islands between Northrend and Lordaeron.) It's possible that the next expansion will similarly blow through multiple premises - maybe it's going to be not just N'Zoth but also a return of C'thun and Yogg-Saron?

Beyond Azjol-Nerub, there's not a ton of canonical "Underdark" like settings in World of Warcraft, but at the same time, the fact that the Dwarves were created to shape the deep places of the earth (well, technically the Earthen, but same diff) and that the Old Gods are all known to be primarily subterranean entities, and expansion that is set underground would be far from unthinkable.

And now, wouldn't you know it, there's a giant gaping wound in Silithus! (Or rather, there will be.)

I know that we basically have to be going to Kul Tiras next expansion, given the datamining, but maybe we're looking at this from the wrong angle.

We don't know exactly in what context Kul Tiras will be used, and the presence of one island zone does not necessarily mean it'll all be islands.

Anyway, I'm expecting the unexpected at Blizzcon this year. Still nearly two months away, but I'm cranked up!

EDIT:

This actually explains some of Magni's quotes in the mini-quest that came before Argus:

He refers to "sands soaked in blood" and a "sword in the darkness." The sands are Silithus, the blood is Azeroth's, and the sword is Sargeras'.

Which actually means that Azeroth foresaw this event, and felt a great deal of fear about it.